


distant stars

by Navyrants



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, POV Second Person, Rated T for language, moreso for future chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-02 19:27:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17269682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Navyrants/pseuds/Navyrants
Summary: Of course Ako already knew Hina Hikawa, but seeing her in the astronomy clubroom was a whole different story. It's like growing up with too much light pollution and then one day just taking a drive out to the country at night--the sheer magnitude is overwhelming.





	1. constellations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ako, a newly minted high school first-year, decides to pay a visit to the Astronomy Club.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes I know I'm the only one who cares about this ship but if I've done my job right, then by the end of this fic you will too

It’s pure curiosity, the first time. You’d heard that Hina was still the only official member of the astronomy club, and you’ve always liked looking at the stars, and you’re in high school now so there’s no reason not to drop by, right?

It takes you awhile to find the clubroom, mainly because this is a new building and despite occasionally visiting your sister during school you’re not very familiar with it. After a bit of backtracking and sheepishly asking a teacher for directions, you’re finally walking up to a door all the way at the end of a hall on the second floor. It’s covered in star stickers and construction paper cut-outs of planets and a sign in the window with neatly printed (chicken scratch) lettering that reads “Astronomy Club”. So, definitely the right place.

You’re not sure what you expect when you step into the room, but it’s certainly not what you end up seeing.

It’s kind of a whirlwind, honestly? Or the aftermath of one, at least. There are papers scattered everywhere, some with writing, some covered in doodles, some completely blank. The main lights are actually off, but there’s a small, dated projector sitting on the table, turning a blank white wall into a stunningly simulated night sky. On the other three walls are a few star charts and you wonder if they’re for aesthetic or if Hina can actually make sense of them, because you sure can’t.

In the middle of it all is Hina herself, hunched over a laptop that seems to be connected to the projector. You assume she’s controlling the shifting of the stars on the wall, maybe looking for something in particular.

You stand in the doorway for a distinctly awkward amount of time before clearing your throat, realizing she probably won’t notice you of her own accord. Startled, her head whips up and she blinks owlishly before a wide grin spreads across her face.

“Ako-chan! What are you doing here?” You return the smile, letting the door close behind you as you step fully into the room.

“I wanted to check out the astronomy club, duh!” The way her eyes light up at that knocks the wind out of you for a moment. You knew you were pretty gay, but  _ wow. _

“Do you wanna join!?” She asks loudly, forcefully, jumping up from her seat and slamming her hands down on the table excitedly. A few papers that were already sitting precariously at the edge drift to the floor. You weren’t really planning to join today, but you literally don’t think you can say no to the face she’s making right now.

“I was thinking about it,” you admit and step further into the room, trying not to step on any of the papers on the floor.

(You realize now that there are many, likely also fallen from the table in fits of excitement.)

She whoops and wiggles a bit. “First member, hell yeah!” Her arms drop to her sides suddenly as she pauses. “Wait, I probably shouldn’t curse in front of you, right? Is Tomoe going to kill me?” You snort.

“That’s a joke, right?” is all the reassurance she needs and her blinding smile is back.

“Cool, so anyway! Basically what we do here is talk about stars and constellations and upcoming meteorological events and sometimes we go on field trips to see them! Well, there’s usually not anyone to talk to--sometimes my friends drop by but they’ve all got their own clubs and stuff so they’re not really  _ in _ the club, y’know? Hey, how well d’you know the constellations?”

Not at all, if you’re honest, but apparently your sheepish expression tells her that much without a word on your part. Unfazed, she continues, and you’re kind of overwhelmed by her rapid-fire pace.

“That’s okay!! If you don’t mind listening, I could tell you all about them!”

At that moment, you want nothing more than to hear her talk.

So after taking a moment to clear out a second chair--it was stacked high with books on stars and myths--that’s what she does. She talks about the zodiac constellations first, with extra focus on Pisces and Cancer after asking your sign. And she doesn’t just talk about the stars themselves (though she does explain the major ones that make up each constellation), she also talks about the superstition and history surrounding them. You're pretty sure not much of it is gonna stick in your brain, but it seems like she wouldn’t mind explaining more than once for you. You get the feeling she'll take any opportunity she can get to talk about this stuff.

Then she moves onto the mythical ones, like Pegasus and Orion, and she tells you the stories behind them with enthusiastic hands and sparkling eyes. You’re leaning your chin on your palms and you’re sure your own eyes are blown wide and the energetic way she recalls each tale makes you wiggle restlessly in your seat.

She talks, and  _ talks, _ and wow, her voice is so nice, and you can’t help but watch her hands shuffle through the papers on the table as she looks for references during the rare lulls in her lecture. As the time passes you realize you’re just as captivated by the way she absently tucks a stubborn strand of hair behind her ear or brushes her bangs out of her face as you are with the words she’s telling you. A couple of times you have to remind yourself to stop staring and actually listen.

All too soon, Tsugumi is knocking on the door to let you know it’s time to wrap things up for the day. The sudden noise makes both of you jump, and then burst into giggles at how involved you’d been. A moment of silence passes as you both gather your things.

“So what did you think?” She asks as you’re opening the door to the clubroom, letting her pass through first. “Did I talk your ear off too much?”

“No way!” You try not to wince at how loud that came out and lower your voice a bit. “This was so cool! I’d love to do it again!” She shoots you the brightest grin you’ve ever seen, her nose all scrunched up with the force of it.

“Zappin'! So can I count on seeing you here tomorrow?” Ignoring the way your heart jumps up into your throat, you nod vigorously.

“Totally! I’ll be here!”

With that she gives you a little wave and jogs away and you’re left standing in the hallway, feeling a little, well…

Starstruck.


	2. shivers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all fun and games until you're late for practice in a soaking wet sweater.

The first snow is your favorite part of winter. The way the world falls silent as inches of fluffy white flakes pile up over grass and asphalt, the trees stoically bearing the load on their naked branches, the soft crunch of your booted foot disturbing the perfect layer on the ground.

It’s all serene and calming but somehow simultaneously so _exciting_ knowing that Christmas and New Year’s are just around the corner, you can’t help but love it.

But, okay, you’ll admit there is _one_ thing you love more than the first snow.

The first snowball.

You pack it tightly between your gloved hands, trying not to be too conspicuous as you lock onto your target, about four meters away--Hina, walking down the street vaguely in the direction of CiRCLE with Aya. You’re on your way to Roselia’s weekend practice and you know you really shouldn’t start something like this, but when the opportunity presents itself…

Your aim is impeccable. You were trained by the best, after all! There’s a pause as she processes before she whips around to find the culprit. Grinning widely, you wiggle your still-snowy fingers at her, proof that you’re the one who issued the challenge.

The way she narrows her eyes is dangerous. The mischievous quirk of her mouth even moreso.

You have almost no time to brace yourself before she’s launched herself at you, bodily shoving you down into the mound of snow you’d taken from to make your snowball in the first place.

The cold soaks into your singular sweater almost immediately, and the only thing keeping you from shivering violently is the heavy warmth of her weighing you down. It takes a second to realize that she's stayed on top of you, but once you do all bets are off.

Using the many skills you acquired from roughhousing with Tomoe over the years, you flip your positions so that she’s the one sinking into the snow instead. she grins up at you and for a moment you lose focus.

And that’s all she needs.

The two of you spend the next several minutes tossing each other about in the snow--and tossing the snow about at each other--until Aya’s voice manages to break through your sheer joy and you realize that your phone is ringing.

Bolting up, you throw a haphazard wave behind you at Hina (being thoroughly scolded by Aya) as you frantically assure Lisa that yes, you’re alright, everything’s fine, you’ll be at the studio in 5 minutes tops, you promise.

When you arrive, you decide it’s probably better _not_ to point out that they’re just wasting even more time by spending the first 15 minutes chewing you out. And maybe you deserve it a little bit given how late you are and the fact that you’re still soaked to the bone. Rinko is the only one without a few choice words for you, settling for a pat on the back, a gentle smile, and a reminder to be careful. You just beam at her, because despite all of this you can’t find a single thing to regret.

At least until you wake up sick the next morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's worth noting that the total chapter count on this fic is only meant to reflect the ones I have planned out, so it's still subject to change.


	3. feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Big sisters give the best advice, except not really.

“So...why don’t you just tell her?”

Tomoe always gives the simplest solutions. Simple, however, does not necessarily mean best.

“Because! I’m short and I act weird so most people just think of me as some dumb kid, and she probably doesn’t feel that way, and I’ve totally seen her holding hands with Aya-san so they’re totally going out and I’d just look--” you wave your hands around for emphasis. “--Super, super dumb!” Flopping back on the couch, you sigh heavily and throw your legs across Tomoe’s lap.

You’re in your living room with the rest of Afterglow right now, hoping to get a bit of advice on your whole Hina situation. You kind of have this stupid big crush on her and Tomoe’s friends are kind of like extra big sisters to you and this is what big sisters do, right? They give advice. Except they’re not very good at it.

“And anyway,” you add as an afterthought, “I don’t know if I could, after…” You trail off, suddenly realizing you’d neglected to tell your sister about that instance just yet, for a pretty good reason.

“After what?” said sister asks, eyeing you warily. Moca, Tsugumi, and Himari all lean forward in interest, but Ran thankfully seems to be sparing you from any extra attention. You clear your throat.

“I mean, it wasn’t, like... _that_ big a deal, I guess, it’s just…!” You fiddle with your phone, locking and unlocking the screen a few times to swipe through your apps only to shove it back in your pocket.

“Let me guess,” Moca drawls in her sleepy voice. “You confessed to someone and it went badly?” You turn away. She’s absolutely spot-on, as usual.

“There was this girl I really liked in junior high,” you admit quietly. “So I told her! and I mean, I guess it was a little embarrassing because I totally did the whole Dark Necromancer thing but she just like...laughed in my face?” Tsugumi and Himari both wince.

“Wait,” Tomoe interjects. “Was this that time in your second year when you wouldn’t get out of bed for two days?” You tap your fingertips together guiltily.

“Yeah, kinda. I went to school the day after I confessed but it turned out she’d like, told all her friends and stuff, so everyone was looking at me and laughing…” You’re staring at the back of the couch again. It was just a dumb middle school crush but the aftermath still hurts to think about. People were whispering about you right up until you graduated.

“Ako, that’s _terrible,”_ Himari exclaims. “How could she be so mean!”

You hear Tsugumi make a noise of agreement, then there’s a small pause wherein all you can hear is your sister muttering curses and threats against your failed first crush as she grips the arm of the couch. “B-but! I’m sure Hina-san isn’t like that,” she adds, eager to reassure you.

“True. I couldn’t see her being quite so malicious about someone’s genuine feelings,” Ran finally pitches in. “...Strange as she may be.” you sigh.

“Still, I dunno. I think either way I wanna wait a bit? We’ve only been hanging out for a little while.”

(Tomoe mumbles something about how you’ve been attending Hina’s club since the beginning of the year, but you ignore her.)

Moca leans over to pat your shoulder, nodding sagely. “Give it time, and if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, Auntie Moca is here~”

“Wh--hey, _I’m_ her sister, Moca.” Tomoe protests, still a bit sore that you hadn't told her about your first crush, and you all laugh.

You don’t know how things will turn out with Hina, but you’re glad you’ll always have your sisters around.


	4. acceptance

Sometimes, it’s just a reflex. The whole Dark Sorceress thing, you mean. You’d been trying really hard to tone it down around Hina, because what if she thinks you’re some kind of weirdo?

(That was kind of a silly concern in retrospect--she thinks everyone’s some kind of weirdo. She doesn’t seem to consider it a terribly bad thing.)

She grabs the hand you’d hastily dropped from your face, still a grin on hers as she calms down from her giggles.

“You’ve seriously got to teach some of that to Aya.” There’s a mischievous sparkle in her eye and you blink at her in surprise. “Your poses are  _ way _ better than hers~”

You snort out a laugh, more surprise than anything, but you’re also fighting down butterflies in your chest as she scoots closer. In all honesty, you’ve never had someone accept that little habit of yours so easily, so after taking a moment to recover, you give a dramatic flourish with the hand she isn’t holding.

“Of course, the Great Necromancer Ako would be happy to give an aspiring amateur some pointers!” You decide not to mention that you’d learned all of it from Rinko. She laughs again, squeezing your hand. It takes all your willpower to keep from squeaking and hiding your face in embarrassment.

The two of you are on a bench in the school courtyard, half-eaten lunches long since discarded at your sides in favor of conversation. The people around you have, for the most part, ignored your loud laughter up to this point, but you notice that one group to your right has directed its attention towards you. They’re close enough that you can catch just one snippet of their conversation before they burst into giggles.

“She’s so fucking weird, isn’t she?” It hits you like a freight train.

You’ll admit, you’d been kind of expecting that sort of thing when you entered high school, but you found it surprisingly rare--to the point where you still wonder if Tomoe doesn’t have an open threat against anyone who makes fun of you. 

A finger presses into your cheek.

“Hey.” Your attention snaps back to her, pouting down at you. She taps your nose lightly. “What have I said about listening to the assholes?”

You’d had a talk with her a few weeks earlier, where you’d asked if she was really okay being seen with you since some people thought you were--well, “so fucking weird.” She had, of course, laughed it off, telling you she didn’t care what other people thought of you.  _ She _ liked you and that’s what was important, not what some jerks said behind your back.

You offer her a sheepish smile.

“There’s no point in it because they’ll never have anything valuable to say?” A chastising pinch and an affirming smile are your reward, and you stick your tongue out at her. She laughs and returns the gesture, scrunching her eyes shut and grinning through it.

Somehow that’s all it takes to forget all about the bullies five feet away, and soon enough you’re launching back into a conversation about a meteor shower that’s supposed to happen next month.

 

You go home that afternoon to flop on the couch and press your face into Tomoe’s shoulder, groaning loudly.

“Gay?” She asks simply.

“Gay,” you agree morosely. It’s an exchange you’ve had the reverse of several times before, and she plays your role well, patting your shoulder sympathetically and offering you ramen.

You really do need to confess soon.


	5. positive reinforcement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Studying is hard, but Hina teaches you a few tricks that make it more enjoyable, at least.

“How about this,” she poses, glancing again at your frighteningly incorrect homework sheet. “Every time you get an answer right, I’ll give you a reward!” You sit up straight, interest piqued.

“A reward?” You ask curiously. Not that you really mind what she gives you--time spent with Hina is reward enough. But then she leans in, eyes glinting with mischief and a lopsided smirk on her face and  _ oh. _

“A surprise reward~” She reiterates, making it clear she won’t tell you what she has in mind, but fuck if you’re thinking about that with her lips two inches from yours.

“Deal,” you agree, not even trying to mask your eagerness. Why bother? It’d be like tossing a handkerchief over a spotlight. Her smirk widens into a grin and she pats your cheek affectionately.

“Boppin’! Better get to work then, huh?”

You don’t think you’ve ever worked so hard on homework in your life. You breeze through the first worksheet like your life depends on it and bounce in place on your bed as she checks it over. There are 10 questions on the sheet and she did say every  _ answer _ so that’s a potential for 10 rewards if you did well enough--

She laughs and hands it back to you. “Your speed was impressive, but try again.” Your cheeks puff out in disappointment.

“Not even one?”

“Nope, sorry. maybe use the textbook this time?” She gives you that teasing smile that makes your heart jump up your throat. Straightening your shoulders, you nod and drag your books closer and erase your previous attempts.

This time, you go slower, referencing the explanations in the textbook and tentatively asking her about things you don’t understand. She elaborates in vague metaphors that still somehow make things click in your head. It helps that she tends to relate things to music, but sometimes she goes on a tangent about stars that you don’t really get and you have to bring her back to what you’re talking about.

Occasionally, your own thoughts wander in the middle of an explanation--what reward will she give you? Does she have a stash of candy in her bag or something? Maybe it’s an IOU thing? What did Yukina-san say the setlist for your next live would be again? Maybe you should ask her to send it to you again--and each time Hina flicks your forehead affectionately and asks where you drifted off. You like that, that she doesn’t just start over from the beginning lest you get lost again. You like that she understands how your dumb brain works, probably better than you do.

It feels like hours, but you finally finish the sheet. This time you try to keep yourself calm as she checks it, try not to get your hopes up--it was silly to think you’d suddenly learn everything you needed instantly through sheer motivation, honestly.

Looking up, she grins brightly and tells you to close your eyes. You quickly comply, wiggling a bit in place as anticipation races through you.

She leans forward. There’s a moment or two where she’s just in your space, but nothing happens. Her breath grazes your cheek and your own hitches because oh my god if she leaned forward just a little bit she’d be--

Kissing you. She’s  _ kissing you. _

It only lasts a moment, but it takes a moment longer for you to realize it’s over, the feeling lingering on your lips. You reel back, barely noticing the smug grin on her face as you process what’s just happened.

“I--wha-- _ buh.” _ is all you can manage to squeak out. The way her eyes sparkle mirthfully at you is making it  _ really _ hard for you to be coherent.

“Is that a good reward?” She asks, innocent voice in no way matching the demonic smirk she’s wearing. Finally, your brain manages to catch up with the situation.

“But I--I thought you were...I mean, I thought you and Aya-san…” The two are almost always together when you see either out and about, and you have to admit you’ve felt a twinge of jealousy or two seeing how they act. The grin drops off of Hina’s face for a moment.

And then she bursts into laughter?

“Aya-chan? No way! I mean sure, she’s cute ‘n all, but  _ no way!” _  She wheezes out once her laugher has mostly died down. She’s wiping a tear from her eye and you can’t help but flush at having misread the situation so badly. “Anyway,” Hina adds with one final giggle, “She’s way too wrapped up in Eve’s bushido stuff to be into me.”

“So, wait…” You really hope you’re understanding her correctly. “Me?” And you  _ really _ wish your voice hadn’t cracked like that. She shrugs at you.

"Sure," she replies easily. “Why not?” You don’t have an answer to that. “Are you done bein’ all cute and startled now? I have a few more rewards to give you~”

Definitely the best study session you’ve ever had.


	6. confirmation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even if you're already pretty sure, sometimes you need to be really, really sure before you make a move.

“Hey, um, Lisa-nee?” You ask tentatively. You grab her sleeve lightly to hold her back from catching up with the rest of Roselia as you're all heading home from practice. “Could I ask you about something?”

Her attention is all on you in an instant. Talking to Lisa is so starkly different from talking to Tomoe, but there’s a reason you’ve chosen the one you have for this.

“Of course, Ako,” she says kindly. “What’s up? Is everything okay?” You scuff your foot on the sidewalk, not sure where to put your eyes at the moment so you let them dart around instead.

“It’s about Hina?” You catch her frown out of the corner of your eye as you’re idly reading the chalkboard sign of a flower shop nearby.

“Did you two have a fight?” Oh no. “Did she do something? Or is she mad at you? Is there something--”

You wave your hands frantically. “No, no no, nothing like that!” She relaxes and you heave a sigh. The last thing you want it Lisa bugging Hina about some nonexistent fight. “It’s just, we were studying the other day…” You trail off and Lisa takes the opportunity to rib at you.

“You were studying? _Hina_ was studying?” The teasing smile on her face is nowhere near as endearing as Hina’s. But you also don’t have a crush on Lisa, so maybe you’re just super biased.

(You’re definitely just super biased.)

You puff your cheeks out and whine at her. “Hey, I study! I totally study! And that’s super duper not the point!” She makes a placating gesture.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.” The smile on her face says she’s not. “So you and Hina were studying?” She prompts, still with that same smirk.

“ _Yes_ , we were studying,” you reaffirm, then suddenly remember the next part and clear your throat. “A-and, um, she told me if I got an answer right, she’d give me a reward.” You shove your hands deep in your pockets and look anywhere but Lisa to hide your blush.

“A reward? What, like candy or something?” That’s what you’d thought, too.

“Well, not _exactly..._ she, um…” Why does this have to be so embarrassing? Lisa’s starting to get worried again, you can tell from the way she leans over trying to catch your eyes, something you’re still actively avoiding. “She kissed me?” You wince at the way your voice cracks and hide your red face in your hands.

Lisa stops walking.

“Sorry, did I hear that right? She _kissed_ you?” All you can do is nod. After a moment of what you can only guess is stunned silence she touches your shoulder gently. “Did that make you uncomfortable? Do you need me to--” _Damnit,_ Lisa, stop jumping to conclusions!

“NO!” In your outburst, you pull your hands away from your face and give her a frantic look, and then immediately replace them, mortified. “I mean, no, I wasn’t uncomfortable! Um, it’s just that…” You slide your hands down your cheeks, twirl your hair around your finger, fiddle with the hem of your shirt, anything busy to avoid having to admit your Big Dumb Crush yet again. Her eyes widen, and then that cheshire smirk is back.

 _“Ohhh,_ I see. I get it now.” You groan. She’s totally going to be obnoxious about this if you don’t hurry up and get to the point.

“Well, um! What I wanted to ask was, y’know, I mean...I know this is gonna sound dumb but you’re her friend and do you think she likes me is all?” She raises an eyebrow at you and you huff. “Yeah, okay, I _know_ she kissed me but like, do you think that was a _her feelings_ type of thing or do you think she just like, knows _I_ like her and thought it would be good motivation for me?” By the end of it your shoulders are hunched up by your ears and you’re really hoping Lisa knows because you don’t wanna just act like Hina totally asked you out and then end up being wrong.

“I think,” she starts slowly, and you’re grateful that she actually seems to be considering it instead of brushing it off with a laugh and an ‘of course!’. “I think that Hina isn’t really the type to do things she doesn’t want to do. I think if she kissed you, even if it was to motivate you, it was because she was at least curious.” Something blooms in your chest--hope, probably. Or maybe flowers. Who knows. “And I think if she did it more than once, she’s definitely interested.”

You can feel your ears burning as you grin to yourself, but you don’t care. And though you know you won’t hear the end of it later, Lisa seems to be content to let you revel in the feeling for now.

“So I should ask her on a date?” A rhetorical question.

“You should _totally_ ask her on a date.” Then you’re both grinning at each other. She throws an arm around your shoulder and ruffles your hair and makes a comment about _‘they grow up so fast’_ or something, you don’t remember it later because all you can do right now is laugh and grasp at the roses in your heart.

When you get home that day, you have a plan and a shoulder to cry on if things go wrong.

But you’re pretty sure they won’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ako Has So Many Big Sisters: part 2


	7. romance?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The best laid plans...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is cheesy as hell just take it

Everything is going wrong.

You think Tomoe would say you’re exaggerating, except no, you’re totally not, because Everything Is Going Wrong.

You should rewind a bit.

It’s a bright and sunny spring weekend, and you’ve decided today is the day you’re going to tell Hina how you feel, so you invite her to come hang out at the park with you. Your sister helps you pack a picnic lunch and you check all of your belongings at least 5 times to make sure you’re not leaving anything important behind, and then you’re heading out the door with a haphazard wave at Tomoe, nearly missing her fond, exasperated look.

You have to take a train to the Hikawa house, but from there you figure you can walk to the park. On the way, you put your plan on repeat in your head, just to make sure you don’t forget any of it. Not that there’s much that particularly needs remembering, now that things are set in motion.

You’re going to pick her up, go to the park, have a good time and a great lunch, and maybe try to casually bring up how this is kinda like a date and wow, maybe you could do it again sometime? And she’ll say yes and probably kiss you again and everything’ll be totally rockin’ and you’ll get to go home and gloat to Tomoe that you got a girlfriend before she did! You’re absolutely certain it’s going to be perfect.

At least until you space out thinking about The Plan and miss your stop.

You get off at the next one, and after consulting the maps in the station (by which you mean Google Maps, because you’re not very good at reading train maps) you decide it’s not too far to walk from here. Of course, you don’t realize how badly you’ve misjudged until 15 minutes of jogging later, and take off at a sprint in a desperate attempt to be on time.

It ends up being a moot point. You finally ring her doorbell 20 minutes after the agreed time, hunched over and wheezing. Just your luck that the door opens immediately.

“Ako! Are you okay? Jeez, did you run here all the way from your house?” It takes you another few moments to catch enough breath to talk.

“H-hey, Hina-chin! Ah, no, just from the station, but, um…” You finally manage to straighten up, rubbing the back of your neck sheepishly.

“Let me guess.” She leans out of the doorway with that lopsided grin. “You missed the stop?” You groan and nod, shoulders slumping, but she laughs so brightly you can’t even find it in you to be upset anymore.

“Well, anyway!” You pretend to huff. “Let’s get going, yeah? We’ve already lost time!” She grins and takes your arm in hers, dragging you off the porch and down the street.

* * *

 

Sorry, did you say it was sunny? Apparently you meant _pouring fucking rain._ Sayo will kill you if Hina gets sick because of your stupid plan.

The two of you are currently huddled under a shop’s awning, listening to the thunder. During your walk to the park you'd both gotten so distracted--her by talking about how she'd gone to the fair with Sayo the previous weekend and you by the way she waved her hands as she spoke, eyes bright and shining--that neither of you had noticed the thick, dark clouds rolling in above you.

You're kind of pissed. The weather channel lied to you. You glare out at the rain as it patters on the sidewalk, mentally berating it for ruining your perfect picnic lunch. Unfortunately, that only serves as a sufficient distraction from your proximity to Hina for a few moments.

You try your best to keep from fidgeting, but you focus so hard on standing still that you forget about your hands, which have come up to play with one of your twintails. And she notices.

“What’s up?” She asks, startling you.

“What do you mean?” Okay, play it off, everything’s totally cool. She pulls one of your hands away from your hair and sticks her tongue out at you.

“You’re fidgeting. You do this hair thing when you’re nervous but trying not to show it. So what’s up?”

“Umm--” You try to come up with an excuse, fighting the blush that’s creeping onto your cheeks.

“Is it about me?” Always so blunt. She leans in to peer closely at your face and now there’s no fighting the way you flush from the tips of your ears to the top of your chest. “Ohh, I get it now!” You only have to wonder for a moment what she ‘gets’ before Hina wraps one arm around your waist, pulling you in snugly against her, using two fingers to tip your chin up and pressing her lips to yours.

It’s a _much_ slower kiss than the ones from the study date, and you can’t help your sharp inhale or your soft whimper. With the way your brain is frying right now, you just barely manage to respond, one hand gripping her shoulder and the other just kind of hanging in midair, forgotten.

Moments pass and she finally pulls away, not quite touching her forehead to yours. Like the first one, it takes your brain a little bit to catch up, and in the meantime she takes your hand and pulls it down to the side, squeezing it lightly.

“Oh,” you say, and it’s such a dumb response but you’re having trouble coming up with anything else. “ _Oh._ ”

“Get it now?” You can almost feel her grinning with how close she still is, and you want to say yes, but--

“Dumb question, but can you say it?” You bite your lip sheepishly. “Please?” She laughs, pressing another soft kiss to the corner of your mouth.

“Wanna catch a movie next Saturday?” There’s that thing in your chest, bursting to life again with enough warmth to ward off the chill brought by the rain.

“Totally.”

“Then it’s a date!” Soft giggles bubble into full-blown laughter and you’re too wrapped up in each other under this little awning, picnic lunch forgotten at your side, to even notice when the rain finally stops.

* * *

 

“Two tickets for…” You trail off, looking over to Hina who’s gotten distracted by the movie posters nearby. “Which one did you want to see again?” She bounces back over to your side and points to a distinctly romantic poster.

“That one!” You raise an eyebrow. She cocks her head. “What?”

“I just didn’t take you for the romcom type, is all.” Though now that you think about it, she had to have learned all that cheesy stuff from somewhere.

“What, you don’t think I can be romantic?” God, her pout is so adorable.

“That’s not what I--” Before you can finish, she’s grabbing your hand and trying to spin you around into what you assume is meant to be a dip, but you’re not expecting it so you trip over your own feet, falling into her and nearly taking you both down. There’s a moment of silence, then you and Hina burst into laughter.

“That looked a lot easier in the movies,” she admits once she’s calmed a bit. You’re still giggling, burying your face in her shoulder. You’re kind of glad no one else is around right now, or you’d be holding up a line for sure.

“I bet. We should probably actually buy our tickets, though.” She blinks in a way that makes you think she actually forgot you were at a movie theater for a second. Then she’s pinching your cheeks, a teasing grin on her face.

“On second thought, who needs romcoms when I have something way better right here?” You’re pretty sure she’s only saying it to make you blush. Batting her hands away with a pout, you put your fists firmly on your hips and give her a look. She giggles. “Fine, fine. Is the romcom still okay?” Playfully, you dip into a deep bow, taking her hand and kissing the back of it.

“The Dark Princess Ako would face down an army of the mightiest sorcerers if only to see a single smile grace your lips!” You try to give her a flirty smirk, but your mouth is trying too hard to twitch up into a real smile for it to be very effective, at least judging by her amused expression.

“So, yeah?” She asks again, and you laugh, popping back into an upright position.

“Yeah!”


	8. reaching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A full night sky, a brilliant celestial event, and a brief talk about the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you're interested, I wrote this while listening to Fuzzy Blue Lights by Owl City on repeat and sobbing uncontrollably

You stretch your arms above your head with a satisfied groan before folding your hands behind your neck to gaze up at the twinkling lights slowly emerging from the dark night sky. Hina shuffles a little closer to your side, seeking your warmth in the early spring air. You turn your head to shoot her a grin, which she returns easily and brilliantly.

Of course, it’s not long before her gaze is returned to the sky. You’re out tonight to see a meteor shower, and you know she doesn’t want to miss a moment of it. You, on the other hand, are largely distracted from the stars above you by the ones in her eyes.

For a while, the time passes in silence, and for once that’s okay with you. The meteors overhead and her awed expression beside you in the wide empty field set an otherworldly atmosphere that you’re almost afraid to disturb. Even Hina seems to feel it, as when she makes her usual informative comments, they’re hushed, whispered into your hair after you shift to lay your head on her shoulder.

As all things, it eventually comes to an end, the shooting stars slowly petering out as the last few meteors burn up in the earth’s atmosphere. Still, you’re not ready to go home yet, and you don’t feel like Hina is, either. The guitarist lies still against you, her only movement the rise and fall of her stomach under the arm you’ve thrown across her to ward off the night's chill.

“We should probably get home soon.” She mumbles it, face still pressed against the top of your head. You can feel her reluctance, and you voice your own with a quiet grumble.

“Hey, Hina-chin?” You ask suddenly. “What are you gonna do when you graduate?” The quickest way to make Hina forget that she’s supposed to do something is to get her talking about anything else.

“Oh right, that’s soon, isn’t it?” She takes a moment to consider it. “Hmm. I dunno!”

“You haven’t applied to any schools?” She shakes her head, and you feel it more than you see it.

“There’s not really anything I wanna go to school for.” That makes you lift your head to look at her, a little surprised.

“Not even astronomy?” She shrugs.

“Nah. I mean, I like the stars, and I like learning about them, but I don’t think I’d like it as much in a class setting, y’know?” A shiver passes through her and she tugs you back down to steal your body heat.

“Yeah, that makes sense. School sucks.”

“School sucks!” She agrees with a giggle. There’s a lull in the conversation where you’re both just pressing into each other. You’re starting to think you should’ve brought a second blanket, instead of just the one to lay on. “I think I’m probably gonna dedicate more time to Pastel*Palettes, though. Chisato’s always saying I’m not serious enough, and maybe she’s right, you know?”

“I dunno, you seem pretty serious to me. You said you don’t usually stick with things this long, right?”

“That’s true…” She shifts, bringing her hand up to run through your hair, long and falling around your shoulders tonight, and you give a pleased hum.

“What about you? I know it’s kinda far away, but have you thought about it?”

“I think,” you start hesitantly. “I think I want to go to school for music? Like, composition and stuff?”

“Ooh! You wanna write songs?” You blush a bit, trying not to feel too embarrassed. You haven’t really told anyone about this yet--not even Tomoe.

“Yeah, I--” A small yawn escapes you, and you press further into her comfort. “I really like watching how Yukina-san writes songs, and then Lisa-nee wrote one too, and Ran writes them all the time, and I like messing around with, like,” you wave your hand in an incredibly vague gesture, “arrangements and stuff? Like sure, Yukina-san writes my drum parts but they can be a little stiff, I guess because she’s never played the drums. So I try to like, you know, spice them up a little. Make them mine.” She makes a noise of understanding.

“And you like doing that, so you wanna learn the rest of it, too?” You beam up at her.

“Exactly!”

“Boppin’. D’you think you’ll be any good at it?” You’re getting a little distracted now, her fingers still in your hair with her blunt fingernails scraping against your scalp in a way that always makes you sleepy, but you manage a nervous laugh.

“I sure hope so.”

Another lapse into comfortable silence, and before you know it, you’ve fallen asleep. Maybe your stall tactic was a little _too_ effective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also the current Winter Sports event made all my dreams come true and I'm SO happy to finally have these two interact on the english server


	9. afterthought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here lies Ako Udagawa, killed by a rampaging Sayo after accidentally keeping her sister out all night.

Your phone is dead.

Sighing, you rub your eyes and squint at the sun just peeking over the horizon. You’re still bone tired, and sleeping on the ground with only a thin blanket serving as a barrier between you and the grass certainly didn't help--though Hina’s shoulder was a surprisingly comfortable pillow. But more importantly, it’s like 6 hours past your curfew and you’re still not home. And _your phone is dead._

Tomoe is going to kill you. No, scratch that, _Sayo_ is going to kill you, and Tomoe is going to kill Hina, and then they're going to kill each other. You can't believe the Udagawa and Hikawa families are both about to come to an end, all because you fell asleep while stargazing with your girlfriend.

You shake her shoulder. She makes that sound that means she's awake but not really and tightens her hold on you, nuzzling her face into your hair. As cute as that is, you have to get home and do damage control, so you nudge her again.

“Hina, come on, it's morning already.”

“Five more minutes,” she whines. Her predictable response makes you groan, closing your eyes and tipping your head back. Maybe you can tempt her with food? It works with Tomoe, and it definitely works with you, so it'll probably work with Hina.

“Sayo's making crepes~” You give your voice a singsong lilt and Hina's head shoots up. Childish excitement is soon replaced with confusion as she takes in your surroundings.

“Where are we?” She pouts. You laugh.

“We fell asleep stargazing last night.” Hina falls back onto the blanket, groaning.

“Onee-chan is going to kill me! I was supposed to be home by midnight…” You make a face because yeah, you too, but there’s not really much to do about it now.

“It’ll be fine,” you assure her. “She’s your sister so she has to forgive you. That’s how sisters _work.”_

She is not, however, _your_ sister and is therefore under no obligation to forgive you. Roselia’s next practice is going to be hell.

...

“Where the hell have you two been?!” Tomoe exclaims the second you crack the door open, arms flung wide in an exasperated gesture. You have about a dozen excuses on the tip of your tongue that all fall off the instant you recognize Sayo sitting on the couch behind her. Oh god, you were so hoping to put off that confrontation.

Wait, why is she _here?_

“Why is she here?” You ask, unintentionally ignoring your sister’s concern in favor of getting to the bottom of that very pressing question.

“Wha--” She’s thrown for a loop for a moment. “She stayed over last night. Because _you two_ worried us sick. Can we address that part?” Tomoe crosses her arms over her chest, giving you her best Big Sister Glare, which is admittedly very good. You shrink in on yourself a bit, stepping into the house and beckoning for Hina to follow you.

Tomoe’s scowl quickly shifts over to your girlfriend and you take the opportunity to note the empty ramen bowls on the coffee table and the teacup in Sayo’s hauntingly calm hands. Her eyes are closed--she hasn’t even looked at you yet--but you definitely, absolutely, 100% find that more terrifying than if she were yelling like Tomoe.

“We fell asleep!” Hina announces cheerfully before you can provide one of your carefully (hastily) prepared responses. “She was just so cute layin’ on my shoulder ‘n all I didn’t wanna wake her up and then _I_  woke up and it was morning, I guess!” She swings her arms and rocks on her heels and it’s adorable but she’s also kinda throwing the blame on you for falling asleep first and you can’t decide whether to be endeared or defensive.

Sayo puts her tea down. When she finally meets your eyes you can see how tired she is, dark circles and all. You steeple your fingers nervously.

 _“We,”_ she says, giving you a very pointed look as she stands, “will be discussing this later. Hina, we should go home. I’ll text our parents to let them know you aren’t dead.” Hina, for her part, smiles sheepishly, but she mostly seems glad that Sayo isn’t angrier with her. You, on the other hand, are definitely, absolutely, 100% doomed.

The door swings shut gently behind them after Hina gives you a last kiss on the cheek and a bouncy wave, and you finally turn to give Tomoe a guilty look. She just sighs and pulls you in for a hug, murmuring her relief into your hair.

“Sorry for scaring you, sis…” She gives you a pat on the back.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I know it’s easy to lose track of time like that sometimes, especially when you’re with someone you care about. Just be more careful in the future?” You nod vigorously and Tomoe gives you a thumbs up. “Great, then I’m goin’ the fuck to bed. See you in a few hours.”

You heave a sigh as she rounds the corner towards her room, but then she pokes her head back and grabs your attention again.

“Oh, and try not to worry too much about Sayo, okay? You know she means well.”

With that, she ducks into her quarters and you’re left to wonder when your sister got to know Sayo so well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: this is actually the first chapter I wrote out of this whole fic. I started writing it on December 4th, 2018, and now here it is blown up into a much, much bigger fic. how did I do this to myself.
> 
> sorry for the delay, everyone! hopefully another chapter up soon, but... no promises......


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